There’s a brief scene early in “3:10 to Yuma”* that cuts straight to film’s conflicted conscience: Outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) sizes up one of his holier-than-thou captors and remarks, “Even bad men love their mamas.” And with that one seemingly junkheap-bound line of dialogue “Yuma” reveals itself to be a different kind of Western – one where the villains are intelligent and adaptable and the righteous are greedy and downright foolhardy in their moral inflexibility. One thing is for sure: a run-of-the-mill Saturday morning cowboys-and-Indians picture “Yuma” is certainly not.

At the heart of this Western is Dan Evans (Christian Bale), a down-on-his-luck Arizona rancher who serves as proof that the good don’t always triumph. (Sometimes they even fail miserably.) Broke, weary and nearly crippled by a Civil War injury, he’s all but run off his land by moneygrubbers who want to cash in on the ever-expanding railroad industry. His oldest son William (Logan Lerman) and wife Alice (Gretchen Mol) don’t believe they’ll survive the season. Then Evans stumbles upon Wade robbing a stagecoach, and his luck begins to change. Soon, he volunteers as part of the caravan scheduled to transport Wade to Contention, where the robber will board a train headed to Yuma prison and end up with his neck getting intimate with a hangman’s noose.

The trip, of course, is far from simple: There’s a misguided attempt to pass through Apache-controlled lands, and Wade’s gang — led by the vicious Charlie Prince (an impressively menacing Ben Foster) — tries to free the infamous robber at every stop. It’s a nonstop ride of violent action and quietly devastating character interaction that trails into an unexpected (and some might say unfulfilling) end.

Ah, the end. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth has taken place over the film’s final minutes, with most everyone railing and wringing their hands in frustration. Of course, the conclusion will not be revealed here, but it must be said that the film’s finale is the key to understanding what makes “Yuma” tick. The end offers no panacea — its ambiguity serves a purpose, a big one, and it’s up to viewers to do the mental heavy lifting.

But the end is only a small part of why “Yuma” is such a worthwhile venture. As an action film, “Yuma” is surprisingly bloody and brutal. Set against the unforgiving dustbowl of the searing Arizona desert, the shootouts and mine collapses and top-speed horse chases seem larger than life. (Then again, that’s what Westerns are, in some small part, about — showing the truths of life in unflinchingly hard ways.) But with a small cast studded with high-profile powerhouse actors, the acting in “Yuma” is hardly shabby, either. Legendary Peter Fonda has some fun with his character, Byron McElroy, a mean-as-a-snake bounty hunter who’d just as soon but a bullet in Wade’s eye than deliver him to the station. Alan Tudyk, a wildly underappreciated comic actor, draws a few laughs as Doc Potter, a large animal vet who unwitting gets roped into Wade’s caravan. And a note here about that Ben Foster, who tears into Charlie Prince like a man in throes of demonic possession: What an actor this guy’s turning out to be.

For the most part, Bale and Crowe run this show, and with good reason. Bale, known for taking darker roles, transforms Dan from a one-note do-gooder into a conflicted character, a man who chooses to do right not because he’s a saint but because it’s all he’s got left. Ben Wade is the kind of role Crowe, who excells at creating laconic, morally amibuous characters, was born to play. With his crooked smile and mirthful eyes, he’s near perfect as Wade, a crook who lives as much by his wits as his pistol. He’s equal parts venom and compassion, and he sees what so few other characters do: Morality is entirely subjective.

Though Crowe alone is almost worth the admission price, there’s another reason to give “Yuma” a chance: Any Western where there is nary a tumbleweed to be seen, well, isn’t afraid to take chances.

Grade: B+

*Readers who have seen the original 1957 film: How does this one stack up?

Grit’s gotta be in a Western. And a good villain. Haven’t seen that many Westerns, but I can’t believe that any have a villain better than Gene Hackman’s Little Bill Daggett in “Unforgiven.” But Russell Crowe’s not half-bad.

this movie is a subject of much debate between myself and Ross McD, mainly cos he thinks the ending is totally ridiculous. i like the film though, although i disagree with you M Carter USM – i think it IS ‘a rollicking Saturday morning cowboys-and-Indians picture’ – its basically all action with a little bit of character thrown in, yet no less a movie for it. James Mangold is one of those directors i like cos he tends to do different stuff – Cop Land, Kate and Leopold, Identity, Walk the Line – while all not completely perfect movies they are all enjoyable, and i think 310 falls into that category

I think that is how the film works best, it is an all action film with a bit of meaning and subtext but not to heavy, a bit like The Outlaw Josey Wales. If you try and elevate it to anything more deep and meaningful you are in competition with Unforgiven and the Searchers, it just can’t compete of that level. Just to clarify, I did like the film.

Completely irrelevant but thought I would share it with you. I went to Yuma last year, not much there but there is some niece scenery in the surrounding deserts.

I’m not much of a Western fan either but I LOVE this one. I came in thinking I’ll root for Bale’s character, but ended up sympathizing with Ben Wade, perhaps more than I should. I like the ending too, the ambiguity works here, in fact, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Besides the strong leads, the supporting performances were great. Ben Foster of course, but glad you mentioned Alan Tudyk, he’s such a great comic relief here. He’s great in “Death at a Funeral,” absolutely hilarious.

As always, fantastic review M, I love how you set up the intro. I’m your biggest fan, as you already know =)